1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to food carrying devices and more particularly to a food carrier system having stacked, food trays which are strapped together and insulated.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous manufacturers have provided food carriers (commonly known as "lunch boxes"), designed and marketed specifically for children, and for the manual laborer, or so-called "blue collar" worker. In addition, many other kinds of people also carry food to their places of work, or elsewhere, using a plain paper bag. However, there is not presently a food carrier available, designed particularly for the needs of "white collar," or office workers. These individuals, as a consequence, have had little other option than to use paper bags to carry food to work.
The disadvantage of paper bags is that they require most foods to be wrapped first in some other material: wax paper, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, etc., or to be placed first in other containers prior to being placed in the paper bag. All of this paper, aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and other wrapping materials, are ultimately discarded. This paper-intensive system uses up enormous amounts of material, wood pulp, petroleum, and other products, and it also increases the total amount of garbage produced. Using paper bags to carry food, therefore, is uneconomical, wasteful, and environmentally harmful. In addition perishable food is poorly insulated when carried in a paper bag. On a commute from home to work, for example, various temperature sensitive foods--i.e., mayonnaise--may become warmed, increasing their pathogenic bacterial content, and consequently present a potential health hazard to the consumer. And, as a practical matter, it is awkward to transport certain types of foods in a paper bag, particularly those foods that are high in nutrition. Soup, fruit and vegetables, salads, stew and other cooked foods are difficult to transport--even with the use of supplementary containers--in a paper bag.
A patent search has revealed the following references:
U.S. Pat. No. 241,600 discloses a combined storage container and carrying handle having two stacked food storage containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 29,415 discloses a food container assembly having a channeled interior bottom surface and vent means leading outwardly of the tray members, with the tray members including a bottom, a top, which is nestably associated with the bottom, for containing a single food item; and a plurality of intermediate tray members which may be stacked in vertical tandem for containing a plurality of food pieces in a unitary stacked carton arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,542,115 discloses food storing dishes including an elongated dish, of a multiple number of smaller dishes upon which the larger dish is superimposed, the larger dish being provided with depending transverse and longitudinal flanges upon its bottom wall, and with a marginal shoulder, the shoulder being engageable with the upper edges of the smaller dishes, the longitudinal flanges being cut away to permit the bottom of the larger dish to overlap the adjacent upper edges of the smaller dishes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,807,387 discloses complementary, stackable containers having interlocking receptacles generally similar with one receptacle adapted removable to be fastened over another to serve as a lid or cover for it.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,811,559 discloses a stackable series of individually insulative containers.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,882 discloses a cooking utensil comprising a metal baking pan with a girdle fitted around the outside edge of the pan to space the pan from the oven walls. The girdle may be provided with an interior shoulder to accept a lip on the pan. A rib on the girdle extending above the shoulder may be used to capture the pan lip between the rib and the shoulder in a snap-fit arrangement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,558 discloses a lunchbox apparatus wherein a removable lid frictionally engages an upper end of the lunchbox container. The lid may include compartments therewithin for securement of different food components and additionally may include spaced walls defining a single chamber therebetween. The apparatus is arranged to be used with a microwave.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,851,754 discloses a plurality of stackable, interfitting trays each formed with recessed compartments. A cover is placed on and interfits with the topmost tray and has attached to it a handle and quick-release tie means to retain the pack of trays and cover assembled. The tie means may comprise resilient binding cords with claw clips at the two ends thereof for engagement in locating recesses in the lowest tray of the pack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,144,016 discloses compression-coupled stacked vessels. The bottom vessel includes a pair of diametrically opposed individual fixed bail-type handles protruding from the side walls thereof.
None of the aforementioned inventions include the combined capabilities of stacking food trays, securely strapping them together for transportation, and thermally insulating the trays, as a bulk, by an insulative cover.